Jennifer Brady hopes to learn from U.S. Open loss to No. 1 Karolina Pliskova

Reporting from New York —  Jennifer Brady’s strong run at the U.S. Open ended abruptly Monday with her 6-1, 6-0 loss to world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, but the former UCLA Bruin was determined to ignore the score and take the positives out of reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam event for the second time this year.

Playing on the big stage of Arthur Ashe Stadium under a clear blue sky, Brady held serve only once, in the fifth game of the first set, and was overpowered by her hard-hitting Czech opponent. Brady’s usually strong serve betrayed her—she got only 16 of 41 first serves into play—and she hit only six winners, to 23 for Pliskova. Brady is ranked 91 in the world but that should improve considerably when new rankings are issued next week. Her career-high ranking was 75, in April.

“I felt like she was playing pretty well today. I didn’t play my best. Maybe I gave her the opportunity to play well,” said Brady, a member of UCLA’s 2014 NCAA champion women’s team. “But, you know, I think she was hitting her spots and her serves well. Yeah, she came out playing, I felt, like the No. 1 player.”

The crowd, sensing Brady’s struggles, supported her warmly and applauded for her several times. She felt and appreciated fans’ empathy and their eagerness to see her mount a stronger challenge. “I just didn’t give them the chance to really do that,” she said, smiling. “A couple of points they got loud. I just didn’t really give them the opportunity to do that.”

Brady, who had reached the fourth round of the Australian Open after going through qualifying there, said her experiences in Flushing Meadows should help her down the road.

“I have had some good wins,” said Brady, who defeated Andrea Petkovic, No. 23 Barbora Strycova, and Monica Niculescu to reach the fourth round. “It was good for me to get a feel for what it’s like playing on a big stage, playing on Ashe. Next time I play on it, I’ll know what to expect.

“I think I should give myself some credit, too….not dwell on this and learn from it.”